From bobrankin@MHV.NET Fri Feb 27 22:25:45 1998
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 00:31:32 -0500
From: Bob Rankin
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
To: TOURBUS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Subject: TOURBUS - 10 Feb 1998 - Even Better Backups
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TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: Even Better Backups
Hi All,
Today the World's Largest Bus is going to back up to the topic of
backups. I got a BUNCH of messages from Tourbus readers about how
they do backups, so for completeness, I'm going to share some of
those interesting ideas today.
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In my "Better Backups" issue on 1/27, I wrote about tape drives,
removable hard disks, and modem-based backups. Here are some other
alternatives you should consider:
TAPE BACKUP UPDATE
I wrote that tape backups are not so convenient because you can't
directly access files on the tape like you can with a disk. But
with some special software, it turns out you can. Check out
Seagate Direct Tape Access (for Win95 - www.seagate.com) or Tape-It
from PGSoft (Win3.x - www.pgsoft.com). Basically, this lets you
use your tape drive as a very slow hard disk, but you can list,
copy and open files like usual.
REMOVABLE DRIVE OPTIONS
In addition to the high-capacity Iomega Jaz and the Syquest SyJet
drives, check out the new Syquest SparQ. It costs $200, and uses a
1-Gig cartridge that goes for about $30. This makes the SparQ a
MUCH better price-performer than Jaz ($100/1-Gig Cartridge) or the
SyJet ($80/1.5-Gig Cartridge). So unless you already have one
installed, or need to share data with a friend who has one of them,
the SparQ looks like a much better value. For details, visit
Syquest at http://www.syquest.com/.
And if you're willing to wait a few months, you can try the
CastleWood Orb Drive. The Orb is supposed to retail for about $199
and have a 2.1 GB removable cartridge which will retail for $30.00.
Additionally, there will be a 4.7 GB cartridge which will be
available for about $60.00 in late 1998. For more info on this
drive, see http://www.castlewoodsystems.com
One reader also mentioned the Summatec MobileDrive, which has a
capacity of up to 3-Gig and a blazing fast 16.7 MB per second
transfer rate. For info, see http://www.summatec.com/.
ZIP DRIVES AND THE "CLICK OF DEATH"
Some Iomega Zip drive users are reporting a problem that has come
to be known as the "click of death." In some cases, their Zip
drives refuse to read disks and instead produce a loud clicking
sound. The problem affects the drive, the disk in it at the time,
and other disks inserted later. If this happens to you, the disk
will be permanently unreadable.
But wait... this just in. A message on the Unofficial Iomega
Click of Death Mailing List (see
http://www.thirdeyesp.com/jatin/iomega) reports that putting the
afflicted disk IN THE FREEZER for a few hours, and allowing it to
warm to room temperature cured the problem! Your mileage may vary,
but I can't see any harm in trying it.
HARD DISKS AND CDROMS
Install a second hard disk, either internally or in an external
carrier. They're cheap now, and you can do a backup in a very
small amount of time. But beware: If you use the DOS XCOPY command
to archive your data, you'll have to handle "hidden" files
manually.
CDROMs - either CD-R (a write-once disk) or CD-RW (rewriteable) may
suit your needs. You'll have to cough up $400-500 for the
hardware, but the disks are ridiculously cheap at $2-$4 for 650MB
of storage. PRO: If you spill your Jolt on a CD, it's no big deal
to clean it. CON: You need a bunch of them to back up a large hard
drive.
REMOTE BACKUP TWIST
One person wrote to tell me about another modem-based backup system
called RBACKUP from Quantum Tech. Turns out these folks have been
in the remote backup business for over a decade, and are recognized
leaders in the field. By contrast to the other products I've
reviewed here, RBACKUP is designed to backup other people's data -
not your own - using a modem. I checked out the RBACKUP website,
chatted with company founder Rob Cosgrove, and came away impressed.
Over 3500 people around the world use RBACKUP to provide data
backup service to small businesses, as a part or full-time job.
All you need is a modest 486 computer with modem, some basic
computer knowledge, and the RBACKUP BizKit to get rolling. The
backups are all automated, and the client doesn't have to fuss with
tapes or invest in any hardware to secure their data.
It's definitely not a get-rich-quick type of thing, but if you're
looking for a legitimate home-based enterprise that has nothing to
do with vitamins, phone cards, chain letters, or cleaning products,
this could be it. RBACKUP was even recommended by Paul & Sarah
Edwards, the well-known self-employment gurus, as an excellent
opportunity.
Oh, and Mr. Cosgrove told me that he's willing to offer TOURBUS
riders a $25 discount on RBACKUP, if you visit this "secret" web
page in the next few days:
http://www.alice.net/rbs
Check it out, and if you decide to try RBACKUP, drop me a line in a
few months to let me know how things work out! See you next time.
--Bob
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